Several faith-based groups that regularly sponsor legislation or lobby for or against particular bills have already mapped out their strategies and goals for the session.

For the Minnesota Family Council (MFC), the state’s largest pro-family organization, they have identified several initiatives of concern to them. Tom Prichard, executive director of the organization, said: “There will be efforts to expand gambling to raise additional tax monies. There will also be efforts to give state legal status to homosexual unions as a precursor to homosexual marriage.”

In addition, Prichard said they would support a bill that reforms the state’s no-fault divorce system. “Our state’s no fault divorce system, which allows a spouse to walk away from a marriage any time or [for] any reason, needs to be changed to give couples time to work through difficulties and protect the interests of children and the spouse who would like to keep the marriage together,” Prichard said. However, he does not know whether or not this bill will receive a hearing.

Prichard believes the current negative political climate “will limit the appetite of many legislators for very controversial issues.”

Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) is focused on life issues in the current legislative session. The group has identified seven legislative initiatives for this year, including advocating for a funding increase in the state’s Positive Alternatives program, which gives grants to “life-affirming organizations to provide resources and support to pregnant women,” according to MCCL.

The group is also supporting legislation to ban forced/coerced abortions, human cloning, and sex selection abortions, among several others.

“This is an election year,” said Scott Fischbach, executive director of MCCL, “so the legislative session is off to a fast start. We have already had a vote in the Minnesota House of Representatives on taxpayer-funded abortions, and there will be more to come in the House and the state Senate.”

MICAH, a faith-based organization that works with congregations and community groups on affordable housing issues is focused on an ongoing legislative priority to provide “a dedicated funding stream for the production and maintenance of decent affordable rental and owner-occupied housing,” according to Board Member Adele Della Torre.

While the group supports the Housing Solution Act [which would add a small surcharge to the existing deed tax, according to the group, and would be used for low-income housing assistance], Torre believes the Minnesota legislature is too preoccupied with revenue decreases to pass the act. “But we will keep it in play,” Torre said, “because we believe its passage is critical to the future well being of our society.”

Carl Nelson, president of the Minnesota Association of Evangelicals (GMAE) said they generally do not focus on specific pieces of legislation but “as a part of the National Association of Evangelicals we endorse their legislative blueprint called ‘for the Health of the Nation.’”

The blueprint includes various issues the group believes are important for Evangelicals, including “religious freedom, family life and protection of children, sanctity of life, caring for the poor and vulnerable, human rights, peacemaking and caring for creation,” Nelson said. These broad issues, the group believes, can guide Evangelicals in state legislation, as well.

Faith-based organizations are in a unique position when it comes to their role as spokespeople for a particular group or people who share a set of beliefs. Torre believes the political process can be intimidating for the average citizen, but “through the leadership of faith-based groups such as MICAH they find their voice and the opportunity to do God’s work.”

Prichard encourages citizens to contact their legislators on specific bills. “They [legislators] don’t hear from most of their constituents,” he said, “so when they do that carries a lot of weight.”

For Nelson, he is worried by the lack of civility currently demonstrated in the public square, an issue that has received a lot of attention in the last few months. “Internet, media, cable TV and talk radio is feeding this monster inside of us that seeks to win by turning us against and tearing down the individual rather than learning to respectfully disagree with the policy,” he said.

And when that happens, Nelson said, “Somebody—and I think that should be Christians—needs to step up and model godly character, grace and honor in how we conduct political dialogue in this nation.”


ACTION BOX: For more information on the current legislative session, including specific bill tracking, visit www.leg.state.mn.us.